Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Petrol

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many days of reserve petrol stock are currently held by the UK, both inside and outside its borders; and how many days of stock will be held within the UK post-Brexit.

lord henley: The UK currently holds 39 days of petrol stocks. The UK is also currently a net exporter of petrol as our refineries produce more than the UK consumes. The UK has two international obligations to hold emergency oil stocks that can be released in response to disruptions to the oil market, as required by the EU Oil Stocking Directive (2009/119/EC) and under International Energy Agency (IEA) rules. The EU Oil Stocking Directive requires Member States to maintain stocks at the higher of 90 days of net imports or 61 days of inland consumption. The IEA obligation requires 90 days of net oil imports. UK oil stocking obligations after we exit the European Union will depend on the terms of our exit, including whether there is a transition period. Under any scenario, the UK will continue to be bound by the IEA requirement to hold oil stocks equal to 90 days of net imports. Many countries around the world subscribe to the same obligation, a level widely considered appropriate to protect against oil disruption.

Company Accounts

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) is the composition, and (2) are the terms of reference of the working group that has been set up to look at requirements for companies to disclose distributable reserves.

lord henley: The Government has not established a working group to look at this matter. In its response to the Insolvency and Corporate Governance consultation last year the Government said that it would explore the strength of the case for a comprehensive review of the UK’s dividend regime, including whether any such review should consider the option of requiring companies to disclose their distributable reserves. That consideration is ongoing.

Fuel Poverty

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations of the Committee on Fuel Poverty annual report 2018, published on 7 November 2018; what steps they are taking, if any, to implement those recommendations in advance of (1) the Comprehensive Spending Review, and (2) the revisions to the current Fuel Poverty Strategy for England; and what assessment they have made of (a) the case for, and (b) the potential benefits which might arise for the UK of, increasing investment in energy efficiency improvements to ensure statutory requirements are met.

lord henley: Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and we welcome the advice of the Committee on Fuel Poverty. We recognise the environmental, social and health benefits of energy efficiency. The Clean Growth Strategy reiterated our commitment to improving the energy performance of as many fuel poor homes as reasonably practicable to Band C by 2030.The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) now focuses exclusively on low income households with funding of £640m per year. In November, the Committee recommended new guidance on the ECO Flexible Eligibility scheme; and new guidance was published earlier this month. In line with the Committee’s annual report, BEIS has also published new analysis on the churn of households in and out of fuel poverty to better understand this issue and will soon be publishing a policy plan for improving Private Rented Sector energy efficiency. Government remains committed to the Buildings Mission announced in 2018 to halve the cost of retrofitting buildings to use half the energy of current new builds. We are considering the Committee’s other recommendations as part of our work this year to update the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England and they will also be relevant to Spending Review considerations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Ethnic Groups

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with other governments about the potential to make joint representations to the government of China on the treatment of the Uighur population.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over one million Uighur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.We work closely and strategically with a wide range of international partners – including countries in and out of the EU – and will continue to do so.

China: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of different religious groups by the government of China, including the treatment of Uighur Muslims, Christians, Falun Gong and Tibetan Buddhists; and what assessment they have made of whether the treatment of those groups is part of a wider effort by the government of China to suppress religious groups.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain concerned by the restrictions placed on Christianity, Uighur Muslims and other religions in China, that include individuals being harassed or detained for their beliefs. The freedom to practice, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. We believe that societies which aim to guarantee freedom of religion or belief are more stable, prosperous and resilient against violent extremism.We are robust in raising the full range of our human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities. We raised our concerns over restriction of freedom of religion or belief as part of China’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2018, and in our 27 June 2018 statement at the UN Human Rights Council. The prohibition of some religious groups, and the legal restrictions and harassment aimed at others, undermines freedom of religion or belief in China.

China: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Uighur Muslims detained in China have undergone unwanted blood, tissue and DNA tests; what they believe to be the purpose of any such tests; and whether there is evidence of state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting religious prisoners of conscience, including Uighur Muslims.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and reports of the Chinese Government's deepening crackdown; including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. We are aware of media reports that some Uyghurs may have been subject to unwanted DNA tests.More broadly, we are aware of reports that allege a process of involuntary organ removal is taking place in China and that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted. My officials attended the final day of the recent tribunal into organ harvesting allegations, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC. We are aware of the preliminary findings and await the final outcome of the tribunal in spring with interest. With the evidence currently available we cannot substantiate the claims that state-sanctioned organ harvesting is happening in China.

China: Ethnic Groups

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the government of Turkey calling on China to end the internment and persecution of Uighur Muslims; and what further steps they will take to engage with the government of China on this issue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over one million Uighur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. We work closely and strategically with a wide range of international partners – including countries in and out of the EU – and will continue to do so.

Israel: Elbit Systems

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on human rights of Elbit Systems UK's sale of drones subsequently used in attacks in Palestine.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Export licence applications to all countries, including Israel, are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Our key test for licensing to Israel is Criterion 2 – whether there is a clear risk that exports might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. We continue to monitor the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories closely, and if extant licences are found to be no longer consistent with the Criteria, those licences will be revoked.

Overseas Trade: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to update their advice to those wishing to do business in Israel following research by Rabbis for Human Rights, published on 29 January, which found that “Israel’s rule over the West Bank is a unique and severely discriminatory regime”.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We routinely update our guidance to British businesses on the Overseas Business Risk website. We advise British businesses to bear in mind the British Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, or intend to make, to the government of Israel about the conditions for Palestinian prisoners following the death of Fares Mohammad Baroud.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly raise the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons with the Israeli authorities.

Gaza: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 5 February (HL13138), whether they will now raise with the government of Israel the matter of the spraying of herbicides in Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We will raise this matter with the Israeli authorities in due course.

Palestinians: Elections

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authorityabout elections for theassembly.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While they did not discuss elections, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, discussed the resignation of the Palestinian Administration with the Palestinian Foreign Minister on 4 February. Along with EU partners, we have encouraged the Palestinian leadership to continue their work towards genuine and democratic elections for Palestinians.

Northern Ireland Office

Golf: Portrush

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an estimate of the total value to the Northern Ireland economy of the 2019 Open Championship being hosted at Royal Portrush Golf Club in July.

lord duncan of springbank: Tourism in Northern Ireland is going from strength to strength, with more visitors who stayed longer and spend more than ever before. Tourism Northern Ireland expects up to 190,000 spectators will attend the 2019 Open Championship and estimate the benefit to the Northern Ireland economy from hosting this highly prestigious event will be £80m.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Finance

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reached agreement with the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland on its long-term budget; andwhat is the amount of that budget.

lord duncan of springbank: Northern Ireland Office officials continue to work with the Chief Electoral Officer to confirm the final allocation for the next financial year. I expect that this will be determined in Spring 2019.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Crimes of Violence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 7 February (HL13091), how many of those assaults occurred in (1) accident and emergency departments , (2) general mental health wards, (3) forensic mental health wards, and (4) other departments or wards; and whether they have categorised such assaults by the seriousness of injuries sustained.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: This information is not available centrally.National figures for physical assaults did not include information on the wards or departments within organisations where the assaults occurred nor the seriousness of any injuries sustained.There are plans as the New Violence Reduction Strategy is implemented, to introduce a new data collection for physical assaults which will be aimed at helping trusts benchmark their progress against their peers and learn from good practice.

NHS: Drugs

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure (1) UK residents, and (2) medical organisations are aware of the guidance that has been issued on access to medicine in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department has been working closely with the National Health Service, pharmaceutical companies and others in supply chains to make sure medicines continue to be available for the NHS, if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal.The Department and NHS England published guidance on their websites for patients, including the online only policy paper, Getting Medication, on 18 January 2019. We have also been engaging with patient groups, trade associations and health care providers about messaging regarding access to medicines in a ‘no deal’ scenario.The Department has issued guidance to all NHS trusts, pharmacies and general practices informing them of the Government’s plans for ensuring continuity of supply of medicines and advising them that they can expect to be able to continue accessing medicines through their existing supply routes in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit on 29 March. This guidance explained how hospitals, general practitioners and community pharmacies throughout the UK do not need to take any steps to stockpile additional medicines, beyond their business as usual stock levels. There is also no need for clinicians to write NHS prescriptions for larger quantities of medicines than usual. A copy of the Department’s letter of 7 December 2018 to the NHS in England is attached.



7 December letter to the NHS
(PDF Document, 396.54 KB)

NHS: Buildings

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have, if any, to increase the awareness of the applicable sentencing guidelines in relation to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 amongst NHS Estates Managers.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussionsthey havehad with the Construction Industry Training Boardabout the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, in relation to the NHS Estate, specifically in relation to facilities management.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2015 apply to all National Health Service construction and design work and as such are implemented across all capital investment, including the responsibilities of specific professionals employed. There are no current plans to increase awareness of these regulations. The relevant National Health Service staff are aware of the contents of the Regulations including the sentencing guidelines. No recent discussions have taken place with the Construction Industry Training Board by NHS Improvement and the Department.

Cancer: Diagnosis

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of rapid diagnosis and assessment centres in improving cancer diagnosis rates.

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cancer diagnoses were made at each rapid diagnosis and assessment centre in 2018, broken down by cancer type.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Ten multi-disciplinary diagnostic centres are being piloted through the Accelerate, Co-ordinate, Evaluate (ACE) partnership between Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and NHS England. This pilot programme will end in March 2019. Early findings from those sites informed the plans for roll out of the Rapid Diagnostic Centres as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. During 2019/20, the ACE Programme will share further evaluation from the pilot centres. The findings will continue to inform plans for expansion of the Rapid Diagnostic Centres, alongside work being led by Cancer Alliances to improve early diagnosis.Data covering the pilot period will be available later in 2019.

NHS: Drugs

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact a no-deal Brexit would have on access to new medicines.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government continues to prepare for the outcome that we leave the European Union without a deal in March 2019.Regarding access to medicines, the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry have a voluntary agreement to control the prices of branded drugs sold to the National Health Service. The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access will bring benefits to patients, the NHS and the life sciences industry. Patients will benefit from faster adoption of cutting-edge and best value drugs, so they can gain access to them up to six months earlier. We do not anticipate any need to make changes to the Voluntary Scheme in light of EU exit, whatever the outcome of negotiations.Regarding the United Kingdom’s regulatory system, in a ‘no deal’ scenario the UK’s participation in the European medicines regulatory network would cease and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would take on the functions currently undertaken by the EU for human medicines on the UK market. On 4 January the Government published an online-only detailed proposal for how the MHRA would regulate medicines in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario, which included the new licensing routes that we would offer in order to make sure UK patients are still able to access the best and most innovative medicines.The Government values the strong collaborative partnerships that we have across the European Union in the areas of science, research and innovation, and as part of Exit negotiations is working to ensure that we have the best possible environment in which to support access to new medicines after we leave the EU.

NHS: Migrant Workers

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with (1) EU member states in general, and (2) Spain in particular, to ensure the UK is able to fill staff vacancies in the NHS after Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service is able to recruit as many doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from abroad, as it needs, once the United Kingdom has left the European Union. Our future immigration system will prioritise high and medium-skilled workers and the Tier 2 visa cap will be abolished. Aside from the salary threshold, which is the subject of ongoing engagement with employers, there will be no cap on numbers and the Government will also be removing the Resident Labour Market Test for skilled workers – this will remove a month from the process of recruiting a migrant. As we bring the EU into a new single immigration system we will make the existing sponsorship system more streamlined.Additionally, the Government has introduced legislation that will largely maintain existing arrangements for the recognition of European health and care qualifications. European qualifications that are currently recognised automatically by UK regulators (doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists), will continue to be recognised after the UK leaves the EU. European qualifications that are not accepted automatically will continue to be assessed against the standard of UK qualifications, as is currently the case.The future arrangement for the recognition of European health and care qualifications, including Spanish qualifications, is subject to the outcome of negotiations on the UK’s future economic partnership with the EU.

Department for Education

T-levels

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support theyplan to offer to students undertaking T-Levels to help them meet the cost of transport to work placements.

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support theyplan to offer to students who qualify for free school meals and who are undertaking T-Levels to help them meet their food costs during work placements.

lord agnew of oulton: The department is keen for students not to be prevented from undertaking T level industry placements due to travel and subsistence costs. We are providing significant funding to help education providers to put in place the infrastructure needed to deliver high quality industry placements in preparation for T levels. This funding can be used to support the students’ travel and subsistence costs. In addition to this, providers are receiving additional discretionary bursary funding of just under £2.5 million in 2018-19 to support students’ access to industry placements and other associated costs. We have recently announced further funding for 2019-20. Where students are eligible to receive Further Education Free Meals, providers must make sure that students are provided with a meal on days when they are off-site as part of their study programme. This responsibility will apply to industry placements. We have also advised that employers may also support students with their travel and subsistence costs if they wish.

Pre-school Education: Finance

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review funding levels for early entitlements to ensure that childcare providers are able to continue providing high quality early education.

lord agnew of oulton: We will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support in 2019-20 – a record amount. That will include funding for our early education entitlements, on which we plan to spend around £3.5 billion this year alone. Our average funding rates are based on the department’s ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ (attached) which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. The review looked at both current and future cost pressures. The government recognises the need to keep the evidence base on costs up to date. We continue to monitor the provider market closely through a range of regular and one-off research projects which provide insight into various aspects of the provider market. Future spending decisions will be a matter for the Spending Review.



HL13604_Review_of_childcare_costs
(PDF Document, 960.52 KB)

Private Education: LGBT People

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration is being given to revising the advice given to independent schools about teaching respect for LGBT people; and what are the implications of such teaching for safeguarding young LGBT people who are subjected to homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

lord agnew of oulton: A public consultation was held by the Department for Education from 14 March to 2 June 2018 on proposed guidance on the independent school standards, including those relating to the promotion of respect for other people. Responses to the consultation are still being considered. The finalised version of the guidance will be published soon. The draft guidance issued with the consultation included advice that schools’ anti-bullying policies should refer to prejudice-based bullying.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Disability

lord trefgarne: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he is satisfied that the present arrangements in the Chamber and Committee Rooms meet the needs of those with hearing or visual impairments.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The House of Lords provides support for Members, staff and visitors to Parliament affected by hearing loss through the use of audio loop and infrared systems that help to amplify sound for hearing aid users. Loop systems are installed in the Chamber and all Committee rooms, with infrared systems additionally available within Committee rooms 1 to 4, 2A, 3A and the Moses Room. Handheld radio transmitters are also available to hearing-aid users when in the Chamber, to reduce interference from electrical equipment and improve the quality of sound provided by the audio loop. We are currently exploring options to provide an audio description service for Chamber and Committee proceedings. This will provide blind and partially sighted members, committee witnesses and members of the public with a voiced description of which member or witness is currently speaking, transmitted directly via an audio service. A feasibility study was commissioned in January 2019 and will report back later this year. Further microphones are due to be added to the Chamber this year, which will improve the quality of service provided to hearing aid users. A greater number of microphones situated closer to the people speaking minimises background noise and gives a cleaner sound on the audio which is sent directly to hearing aids via the loop system. The large number of microphones used in Committee meetings, whether automated or operated by an engineer, help to keep the sound clear and maximise the quality of sound experienced by hearing aid users. For those with hearing impairments which do not require the use of a hearing aid, overall audibility in Committee Rooms 2A, 3A and 4A is generally good. In Committee rooms 1 to 4, however, factors such as high ceilings and furniture arrangements mean that the current acoustic set-up is sub-optimal. A facilities upgrade is currently being trialled in House of Commons Committee Room 6 and, subject to approval, House of Lords Committee rooms will also benefit from these improvements in due course. There are also plans to replace the speakers embedded in the benches within the Chamber next year, which should deliver improvements to general levels of audibility.The business of the House is of course dependent upon Members, staff and visitors such as committee witnesses being able to hear and be heard, although the capacity to deliver improvements can sometimes be limited by the nature of operations in a building with heritage restrictions. Equality Impact Assessments will be carried out as part of the Restoration and Renewal process, during which extensive works are likely to offer the potential for further improvements to facilities. In the interim, the Director of Facilities would be happy to speak to any member with specific suggestions for improvement.

Peers: Bullying

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many formal complaints of bullying or harassment by any member of the House of Lords he has received from (1) members, (2) their staff, or (3) House staff since he launched the consultation on the implementation of a new process for investigating complaints of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct on 11 February.

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many formal complaints of bullying or harassment by any member of the House of Lords were being investigated from (1) members, (2) their staff, or (3) House staff at the time he launched the consultation on the implementation of a new process for investigating complaints of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct on 11 February.

lord mcfall of alcluith: I have not received any formal complaints from members, their staff or House staff but under neither the current system nor the proposed future system would complaints come to me. Currently complaints may be received by the House Administration, the Commissioner for Standards, any of the political parties or whips, or the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers. Complaints of bullying or harassment by members of the House of Lords may be made to the Commissioner for Standards. Consideration of complaints by the Commissioner follows a two stage process. The Commissioner conducts a preliminary assessment to determine whether there is evidence sufficient to establish a prima facie case that the Code has been breached. This stage of the process is confidential, known only to the Commissioner, complainant and respondent. Basic details of cases are made public only if a complaint proceeds to the second stage, which is a formal investigation. When I launched the consultation on 11 February there were no live formal investigations by the Commissioner solely in relation to the Code’s personal honour provision, which is the only aspect of the Code likely to be engaged by complaints of bullying and harassment. No such investigations have been initiated since the consultation was launched. Furthermore, no formal complaints relating to the behaviour of House of Lords members were being dealt with by the Administration when the consultation was launched, and none have been initiated since.

Treasury

National Savings Certificates

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are changing the index on NS&I Index-linked Savings Certificates bought between 2 June 1975 and 7 October 1996 from RPI to CPI; and what is the legal base that enables this change to be made.

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the benefit that will accruetoHMTreasuryfrom the change in the index from RPI to CPI of NS&I Index-linked Savings Certificates bought between 2 June 1975 and 7 October 1996.

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total outstanding value of, and interest credited on, NS&I Index-linked Savings Certificates bought between 2 June 1975 and 7 October 1996 for each of the last 10 years; and what projections have been made for outstanding value and interest credited for each of the next 10 years.

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the last 10 years, how many individuals owned NS&I Index-linked Savings Certificates bought between 2 June 1975 and 7 October 1996 and what projections they have made for the number of future owners in the next 10 years.

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what HMTreasury-backed interest bearing and index linked financial instruments have had, in the last 10 years, the index changed from (1) RPI to CPI, and (2) CPI to RPI; and what the rationale was for those changes.

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the changes to NS&I Index-linked Savings Certificates bought between 2 June 1975 and 7 October 1996, whether they plan to change to CPI the index on those index-linked gilts currently using RPI; and if not, why not.

lord bates: Index-linked Savings Certificates (ILSCs) have not been on sale since 2011. Customers who purchased ILSCs between 2 June 1975 and 7 October 1996 (Issues 1-9), and who did not provide instructions at maturity to withdraw their funds, subsequently had their funds mature into ‘Index-linked Extension Terms’ (ILETs). ILETs act as a holding account for customers until they request the return of their investment. The number of ILET holders and total value of ILETs since 2012 and forecasts for the next 10 years are provided in the first attachment.. NS&I undertook a data migration in 2012 therefore data is provided from that point forward.   Interest earned on ILETs is normally held separately to the investment and paid out when customers claim their funds. However, in 2012 NS&I capitalised interest into accounts. Therefore, the figures in the table do not include interest earned since 2012 (totalling c£30 million). ILETs currently earn interest equal to RPI. Starting 1 May 2019, from the day and month the original investment was made (the ‘anniversary date’), each ILET will earn interest based on CPI. On this day, outstanding interest will be capitalised into the account, with interest earned after this date continuing to be held separately. NS&I does not hold an anniversary date for the oldest investments (Issues 1 and 2). For these issues, an anniversary date of 11 November has been set. This corresponds with the date in 2012 that NS&I last capitalised interest into these accounts. NS&I has the right to change the terms and conditions of ILETs at any time after the expiration of the original term. Customers are being notified at least 60 days in advance of the change taking effect, via correspondence and public notices published in the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and The Times on 8 February 2019. The forecast reduction in interest payments caused by the change in the index from RPI to CPI of Index-linked Extension Terms is provided in the second attachment.As NS&I announced at Budget 2018, from 1 May 2019 holders of ILSCs who chose to renew their investments into a new term would also receive interest based on CPI rather than RPI. The changes to ILETs and ILSCs recognise the reduced use of RPI by successive governments and is in line with NS&I’s need to balance the interests of its savers, the cost to the taxpayer, and the stability of the broader financial services sector. The Government issues wholesale gilts through the Debt Management Office. In the past 10 years, the only index-linked products issued by the Debt Management Office have been Index Linked Gilts, which are linked to RPI. The Government recognises the flaws in the way RPI is measured and have made progress in moving away from using it. However, given the extensive use of RPI across the public and private sectors, further moves away from the measure are complex and potentially costly. As set out at Budget, the government’s objective is that it will reduce the use of RPI when and where practicable. At the present time there are no current plans to stop issuing RPI-linked gilts.   



Attachment 1
(Word Document, 12.67 KB)




Attachment 2
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Empty Property: Security

baroness grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to property guardians in buildings owned by (1) the government, (2) local government, and (3) statutory bodies.

baroness grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government what risk assessment has been conducted on the dangers of breaches of (1) electrical safety, (2) gas safety, and (3) fire safety regulations for people living as property guardians.

baroness grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relevance of the Housing Act 2004 and its application to premises occupied by a property guardian.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Housing Act 2004 is applicable to premises occupied as a dwelling by property guardians. Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities have a legal duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review and identify any action that may need to be taken. If local authorities are aware of properties in their area occupied by property guardians, they should consider inspecting these properties proactively to identify potential health and safety hazards. The Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) applies across all premises occupied as a dwelling, including guardian properties. If hazards are present, local authorities have tough enforcement powers.Electrical safety, gas safety and fire safety requirements apply to all private rented sector properties including guardian properties when they are residential or used as a dwelling. Fire safety in all non-domestic premises, including the common parts of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.The Government has not carried out a specific assessment of the risks to property guardians in buildings under different ownership. It is the role of local authorities to inspect and take action as required. The Government is reviewing information available to guardians and local authorities about their enforcement powers to make sure this happens.

Empty Property: Security

baroness grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 15 October 2018 (HL Deb, cols 366–8), what progress they have made in establishing whether someone who has a licence as a property guardian is living in what can be defined as a “dwelling".

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Housing Act 2004 defines a “dwelling” as a building or part of a building occupied or intended to be occupied as a separate dwelling.  Whether a building occupied by a property guardian is in fact a dwelling would be dependent on the particular facts of the case.

Local Government: Devolution

baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the criteria for the selection of successful bids for devolution deals that include a Metro Mayor (1) have been published, and (2) are available for public scrutiny.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government's consistent approach to devolution is that powers and budgets are devolved to a functional economic area and that there must be strong and accountable governance proportionate to the powers and budgets being devolved. These criteria were described in the Department’s written evidence to the Communities and Local Government Committee which was published on the inquiry page of the Committee’s website along with its report “Devolution: the next five years and beyond. First Report of Session 2015-16” (HC 369).

Local Government: Devolution

baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the statement, made on 8 June 2015 during consideration of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill by the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department forCommunities and Local Government, Baroness Williams of Trafford (HL Deb, cols 652–3), that “Any one-size-fits-all model is destined to failure. Every city and council is different. Through the decentralisation that the Bill will enable, each city will be empowered to forge its own path, to play to its own strengths and to find its own creative solutions to the particular challenges that they face" remains government policy.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Those comments of the noble Baroness set out one of the four key characteristics of the Government’s approach to devolution described in the Department’s written evidence to the Communities and Local Government Committee which was published on the inquiry page of the Committee’s web site along with its report “Devolution: the next five years and beyond. First Report of Session 2015-16” (HC 369).

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Expenditure

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the extra funding settlement given to the Ministry of Defence for nuclear and anti-submarine warfare in October 2018 was allocated and spent.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 9 November 2018 to Question number HL11304.



Trident Submarines
(Word Document, 26.92 KB)

Defence: Procurement

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence considers wider employment, industrial and economic factors in its value for money assessments of where to procure defence systems.

earl howe: This Government is committed to ensuring that defence procurement contributes to a more dynamic and productive economy. We therefore strive to obtain the capabilities we need at the best value for the taxpayer, in a way that strengthens our economy and bolsters long-term prosperity.Ministry of Defence procurement consider all relevant costs and benefits to UK society in making value for money assessments. These assessments are made in accordance with the HM Treasury Green Book, and without hampering open competition when relevant for procurement decisions.

Armed Forces: Casualties

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byEarl Howe on 7 February (HL13095), whether a Fatal Accident Inquiry was carried out into any of those deaths; and if so, which.

earl howe: There was a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) carried out following the crash of a Chinook in June 1994 on the Mull of Kintyre which concluded it was impossible to establish the exact cause of the crash. Since the formation of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Inquest Unit (DIU) in 2008 there have been no FAIs. Before the formation of the DIU, Inquests were dealt with by the individual Services (Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force), the DIU does not have access to any records that may have been retained from this period. It is, however, unlikely that these records have been retained under the MOD records retention policy which is normally five years from date of opening. We have held discussions with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscals Service (COPFS), to determine if there any other FAIs have been held. COPFS have advised it is not possible to confirm how many FAIs have taken place into military deaths in Scotland since 1990. The COPFS database is based on individual specific information i.e. name, date of birth, date of death and not on occupation. It is not searchable on occupation and we are advised that any search would also return deaths of individuals from natural causes, which could amount to many hundreds of records and would need to be manually searched. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Gibraltar: Navy

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase UK naval defences in Gibraltar after Brexit.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence continually reassesses the Royal Navy's mission in the Strait of Gibraltar, and the assets and people required to deliver it, to ensure that the UK Government's responsibilities can be carried out effectively to meet evolving threats and future needs.Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships continue to visit Gibraltar, in addition to the Royal Navy's Gibraltar Squadron that is permanently stationed there. ​The base infrastructure and the Gibraltar Squadron will also continue to be modernised in line with the rest of the Royal Navy.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration, if any, they have given to opening HMS Queen Elizabeth to the public for a day.

earl howe: The opening of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH is under consideration, as ships are routinely opened to the public during HM Naval Base open days and during visits to their affiliated cities.Due to operational scheduling, a date is still to be decided.

HMS Ocean

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider buying back HMS Ocean from Brazil to be the first of the UK's Littoral Strike Ships.

earl howe: The procurement strategy for the Littoral Strike Ship has yet to be determined. However, we have no intention of buying back HMS OCEAN which is now in service with the Brazilian Navy.

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure the pensions industry routinely checks for auto-enrolment contribution data errors; and what reportingthey require from (1) pension providers, (2) employers, and (3) payroll operators to verify the accuracy of contributions.

baroness buscombe: I refer the noble Baroness to my answers of 7 January 2019 and 18 December 2018. The regulatory regime is designed so that errors can be identified and material failures can be reported. The Pensions Regulator can then require restitution; and, where necessary, make use of its enforcement powers.The Government keeps all aspects of automatic enrolment under regular review but has no plans to make changes to the compliance framework at this time.

Universal Credit

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Social Metrics CommissionA new measure for poverty for the UK, published in September 2018, what steps they are taking to ensure working parents with more than two children and who are claiming Universal Credit are not being pushed further into poverty due to the cost of childcare.

baroness buscombe: The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work, and as part of this we have increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70% in legacy benefits to up to 85% in Universal Credit. This means that working families claiming Universal Credit can reclaim up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month up to £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children. The Universal Credit childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work. Where upfront childcare costs or deposits may prevent a claimant from starting work, jobcentres have been instructed to use the Flexible Support Fund to support the transition into work. When parents have good reason for late reporting of their childcare costs, the Department is piloting a more flexible approach to enable parents to be reimbursed at a later point.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges

baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what steps they are taking to monitor the use of funds derived from the introduction of the charge on single-use plastic carrier bags, and (2) whether individual businesses are required to report on the amounts raised and donated from this source.

baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the introduction of the charge on single-use plastic carrier bags has resulted in a reduction of bags used; and if so, by how much.

lord gardiner of kimble: In October 2015, the Government introduced the mandatory minimum 5p charge for single use carrier bags (SUCBs) in England on all large retailers to tackle the negative impacts associated with their use on the environment, wildlife and society. The policy has resulted in an 86% reduction in the usage of SUCBs by large retailers. This represents approximately 15.6 billion fewer bags in circulation. The Regulations require retailers with more than 250 staff to charge a minimum of 5p and report data on their annual sales of SUCBs. Those retailers are encouraged to donate the proceeds of the charge (after deducting VAT and other reasonable costs) to good causes such as charities or community groups and to voluntarily report that data. Our analysis shows that since the charge was introduced approximately £146 million has been donated to a variety of good causes covering the arts, education, environment, health, heritage and sports as well as local causes chosen by customers or staff. The Government is currently consulting on extending the charge to all retailers and increasing the minimum charge to 10p.

Plastics: Recycling

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include all sizes of plastic bottles in their proposed deposit return scheme.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England, subject to consultation, aimed at boosting recycling rates and reducing littering. We are consulting on two options for a DRS relating to size of containers: an ‘all-in’ DRS which would include containers of any size, and an ‘on-the-go’ DRS that would include containers smaller than 750ml. The scope of a DRS, including the size of drinks containers included in such a scheme, will be dependent on the results of the consultation.

Plastics: Packaging

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the producers of plastic packaging pay for the entire lifecycle of the materials used.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government set out its commitment to reform the packaging producer responsibility system in the 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018. Our Resources and Waste Strategy was published in December 2018 and contains details on how we will do this, including measures to incentivise packaging producers to make better, more sustainable decisions at the design stage and point of manufacture. Through reform of the current system we will require producers to fund the full net cost of managing the packaging they place on the market, once it becomes waste. These proposals are subject to a consultation, “Reforming the UK Packaging Producer Responsibility System”, which was published on 18 February 2019. The Government has also confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, subject to consultation. Producers of drink beverage products that would fall within the scope of a deposit return scheme would be required to fund the system. The consultation, “Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland”, was published on 18 February 2019 and sets out our proposals in detail.

Recycling

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published on 18 December 2018, what plansthey have to move from a weight-based target system for recycling towards an impact-based system; and what supportthey will provide to local authorities to achieve this.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is seeking views on alternatives to weight based targets as part of its consultation on Consistency in Household and Business Recycling Collections in England. This consultation ends on 13 May.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent staff are working on the EU Settlement Schemeand, of these, how many were recruited from (1) within the Home Office, (2) other government departments, and (3) elsewhere; and how many extra staff they intend to recruit for this purpose (a) before 29 March 2019 and (b) subsequently.

baroness williams of trafford: We currently have over 1,200 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) European Casework staff in post to quickly process EU Settlement Scheme applications. This number will increase to 1,500 staff before the scheme fully launches by 30 March 2019. In addition to this, we are recruiting a further 300 staff for the new customer resolution centre which will proactively support EU citizens through the application process.We are committed to ensuring that our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.All recruitment has been through fair and open competition, and has encompassed existing Home Office staff, Other Government Department employees, and external recruits. We do not have a breakdown of where staff were previously employed. More detailed information about the previous roles of staff is not available within reasonable costs.

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost of theEU Settlement Scheme to date; and what is the estimated total cost up to the deadline for applications on 30 June 2021.

baroness williams of trafford: For the 2018/19 financial year, HM Treasury provided EU Exit funding allocation of £395 million to Home Office. £170 million has been reserved for the development and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme. This includes building a simple, user-friendly digital application system, communications campaign and caseworkers to process applications.

Remittances

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government under which circumstances, if any, they intervene to block requests for assets to be remitted to foreign government organisations either from the UK or British overseas territories.

baroness williams of trafford: Under proceeds of crime legislation, asset sharing and repatriation is ultimately the Government’s decision following the recovery of assets/money under a court order it is a matter of how to then dispose of those recovered moneys. In confiscation cases, the UN Convention Against Corruption requires a full return to victim States and the EU Framework Decision on confiscation orders requires a 50% share in cases in excess of 10,000 Euros.There are other bilateral and multilateral international agreements that encourage the sharing of recovered assets. The UK does not require an international agreement to share or repatriate assets and does so on request on an ad hoc basis. The presumption is that 50% is shared with the requesting country. There are few cases so far, but none have been refused.The Government does not intervene with similar cases involving the Overseas Territories or Crown Dependencies.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Manufacturing Industries: UK Trade with EU

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, as part of the Brexit negotiations, of the number of(1) UK manufacturing jobs which depend on exports to customers in EU member states, and (2)manufacturing jobs in EU member states which depend on exports to customers in the UK.

lord callanan: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that in 2011 around 520,000 manufacturing jobs in the UK were linked to exports to the EU, and around 1,090,000 manufacturing jobs in the EU were linked to exports to the UK. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TIM2015_C1The Political Declaration sets out the framework for a future relationship with the European Union that delivers in our national interest, including protecting jobs in the United Kingdom. Both the UK and the EU envisage comprehensive arrangements that would create a free trade area, combining deep regulatory and customs cooperation with zero tariffs, no fees, charges or quantitative restrictions across all goods sectors.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have free trade agreements with the EU but have not yet signed such agreements with the UK.

baroness fairhead: The Government recently updated the House on our progress to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements, and I refer the noble Lord to the Government’s written statement published on 21 February 2019.We will continue to inform the House as soon as further agreements are signed. You can find a list of all the EU’s Free Trade Agreements here: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/negotiations-and-agreements/

Ministry of Justice

Magistrates

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the adequate provision of magistrates in the UK justice system.

lord keen of elie: We work with the judiciary to analyse both current and future judicial, including magistrates, supply and demand across our courts and tribunals, factoring in planned recruitment, retirements and other departures.Recruitment of magistrates in England and Wales is reviewed annually and in 2018/19 we plan to have recruited 1,018 new magistrates. We are developing a three-year strategy, focusing on increasing diversity and social mobility, to support the recruitment of sufficient numbers to manage workloads.We are continuing to analyse the net impact of current and future reform on the requirement for magistrates in the longer term.